KLEM News PM Update August 13, 2010

(SIOUX CENTER)--A new America's Best Colleges ranking by Forbes.com places Dordt College seventh in the state.

Forbes.com ranked the top 15 percent of all undergraduate institutions. That puts the private Sioux Center college in the top 8.5 percent.

In a news release, Dordt President Dr. Carl Zylstra said it is always gratifying to realize that out of the thousands of colleges and universities in the United States, Dordt students rank the school well within the top 10 percent.

The Princeton Review recently named Dordt as one of the best colleges in the Midwest.

Le Mars business burglary investigated by Police

(LE MARS)--Le Mars Police are investigating a burglary at a Le Mars business.

A door was forced open at the Le Mars Agri-Center at 205 Seventh Avenue Southwest sometime after seven Tuesday night. Authorities say a lap top computer was taken and was located by an Alton resident on Wednesday. The loss, including damage to the door, is estimated at 11-hundred dollars.

Bruce Schmidt of Moville reported his personal laptop computer was stolen from the Agri-Center office during the same time as the break-in. The estimated value is $850.

(SIOUX CITY)--Two people were injured in a motorcycle accident near Sloan on Interstate 29 late Thursday morning.

The Iowa State Patrol reports 48-year-old Timothy Pinkerton of Pleasantville was driving south on I-29 when he lost control of the motorcycle.

Pinkerton and his passenger, 44-year-old Theresa Pinkerton, also of Pleasantville, were taken to Mercy Medical Center by Sloan Ambulance.

I-29 Construction Zone speed enforcement effort begins

(SIOUX CITY)--Sioux City Police will step up enforcement in a construction zone area where several traffic accidents have occurred.

Due to construction on Interstate 29, Sioux City Police says it is very important for drivers to observe the posted speed limit of 55 miles an hour. Traffic is head to head with no barrier between the northbound and southbound traffic lanes of Interstate 29 in the area of the Riverside exit.

Fines double in construction zones in Iowa. A citation for speeding five miles an hour over the limit will cost $107.

Iowa dad sentenced to 50 years in child's death

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) A Woodbury County judge has sentenced a Sioux City man to 50 years in prison for the death of his infant daughter.

Twenty-year-old Paul Hill was convicted last month of child endangerment causing death in the 2009 death of his 4-month-old daughter, Tryniti. He was sentenced on Tuesday.

Police say Hill called 911, saying his daughter wasn't breathing. She later died a hospital. An autopsy showed the child died from a blow to her stomach.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Alta teens injured in rollover accident

(STORM LAKE)--Two Buena Vista County teens were airlifted to a Sioux City hospital after a single car rollover accident near Alta Thursday night.

According to the Sheriff's office, 17-year-old Ashley Sippel of Alta was trapped under a vehicle west of Alta. Authorities report 13-year-old Emily Sippel, also of Alta, was found about a mile from the accident. She had walked away from the accident to try to get help.

An investigation indicates Ashley Sippel was driving west on 580th Street. As she approached the intersection with 30th Avenue, the 17-year-old apparently lost control and the vehicle rolled one-and-a-half times and came to rest on its top. She was ejected and the vehicle rolled on top of her.

The sheriff's office reports seat belts were not being used by the driver or the passenger.

The Iowa DOT is continuing to receive a number of calls about specific roadways that ARE OPEN. Those roads are: I-35 near Ames, U.S. 30 near Ames and the U.S. 65 southbound off-ramp at Vandalia Road (exit 77).

Status of I-80 near ColfaxUpdated forecasting models show that the water will rise again during the next 24 hours at Interstate 80 in Jasper County where the South Skunk River and Indian Creek converge near Colfax (between mile markers 155 and 159). The water had started to recede.

The current forecast is for the water to reach a level similar to what was reached earlier this week. That level is a few inches lower than what it would take to overtop the highway. It also means that water will once again encroach on the paved shoulders in some locations and onto the ramp at exit 159, but not necessitate a road closure.

This remains a dynamic situation that is being closely monitored by the Iowa DOT. The most significant variable remains the amount of rainfall Iowa receives today and overnight and the river basins affected.

A flood warning remains in effect, as well as a flash flood watch. This means that motorists should exercise additional caution when traveling in this area overnight, as well as other flood-prone areas.

Roadways reopened since last update

·Iowa 92 in Mahaska County - The road was closed between Iowa 23 (Oskaloosa) and Mahaska County Road V-13 (Rose Hill).

Roadways currently closed or restrictedDue to the dynamic nature of flash flooding, motorists should remain alert throughout the day in all areas under watches or warnings. For weather and other emergency information, stay tuned to NOAA weather radio or your local radio and TV stations. If you encounter a flooded area, turn around – don’t drown.

·U.S. 61 and U.S. 136 in Lee County - The road is closed near Keokuk. Traffic normally going across the Des Moines River Bridge near Keokuk is being directed to the Des Moines River Bridge at St. Francisville.

·U.S. 65 in Polk County - The north- and southbound lanes are closed at the Skunk River crossing, which is approximately 5 miles north of Bondurant and between U.S. 6 and Polk County Road S-27. The southbound detour is: Iowa 117 south to Interstate 80, then west to U.S. 65. The northbound detour is the reverse: go east from the U.S. 65/I-80 interchange to Iowa 117 (exit 155), go north on Iowa 117 to U.S. 65.

·U.S. 169 in Dallas County- The road is closed between North Seventh Street and Mantucket Road in Adel. The detour is: Dallas County Road F-51 west to P-58; north to Iowa 44; then east to U.S. 169.

·Iowa 2 in Fremont County - The right, eastbound lane is closed between Interstate 29 and the Nebraska state line.

·Iowa 16 in Wapello County - The roadway is reduced to one lane of traffic between Ninth and Eighth streets in Eldon.

·UPDATED - Iowa 92 in Mahaska County - The roadway is closed between mile markers 183 and 184 near Keomah Village.

·Iowa 98 in Van Buren County- The road is closed at the Des Moines River crossing between Douds and Leando.

·Iowa 117 in Jasper County - The roadway between Jasper County Road F-48 and Interstate 80 near Colfax is closed.

·Iowa 210 in Story County - The road is closed south of Cambridge at the South Skunk River crossing and at the Indian Creek crossing in Maxwell.

Deactivation of temporary customer service phone lineThe Iowa DOT’s temporary customer service line will be deactivated at 2 p.m. today due to a decreasing number of calls and reopening of major routes. In the event that it is necessary to close an interstate route, the call center may be reactivated. The number to call until 2 p.m. today is 866-452-8510.

Road closure information will remain available 24 hours a day/7 days a week, by calling 511 (in Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (outside the state). The information is also available at www.511ia.org.

AMES, Iowa (AP) Ames officials say residents must conserve water if the city is to restore the system after historic flooding caused pipes to break that left the college town of 55,000 without drinking water.

Officials say efforts to conserve are falling short and residents must be committed to a ``temporary lifestyle change'' so water can be used to refill water towers, flush the system and restore drinking water to homes.

Ames, home to Iowa State University, shut down its water system on Wednesday because of eight water main breaks. City spokesman John Dunn said Thursday evening that the pipes were repaired or isolated, and a water tower was slowing filling but it was quickly depleted by usage.

City officials have set up five distribution sites for bottled water.

Iowa prison on lockdown after inmate fight

ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) Officials say the state prison at Anamosa was placed on lockdown after a fight among inmates that led to two guards being injured.

Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says the prison was locked down for a period of time on Thursday.

Scaletta says two prison employees sustained minor injuries while breaking up the scuffle. He says no employees or inmates were sent to the hospital for injuries.

Scaletta says an investigation is under way.

Ex-Iowa cop pleads in drug, burglary charges

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A former Pleasant Hill police officer accused of stealing methamphetamine from an evidence room has pleaded guilty to drug and burglary charges.

Former Sgt. Daniel Herbert Edwards pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a controlled substance, operating while intoxicated, and third-degree burglary.

The 42-year-old Edwards was charged after he crashed his cruiser on April 1. He was fired after toxicology tests showed methamphetamine in his system.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 29 in Polk County District Court.

Strange growth shows up on oak trees in Iowa

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) Experts say a strange growth on burr oak trees in Mason City is nothing more than a home to an insect and won't do any harm.

Richard Jauron is a horticulturist at Iowa State University Extension. He says the furry white and coral-colored balls are called galls.

They grow in response to either feeding by an insect or as a result of egg laying on or within the plant tissue.

Galls surround the insect, providing protection and food.

The insect develops and grows inside the gall during the summer and emerges as an adult either in the summer or the following spring.

Jauron says galls are fairly common on oaks and hackberry trees, and there's no cause for alarm.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Submit your news release, confidential news tip or news idea by email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.